Dehydrator for mineral bulk materials



Feb. 3, ,1970 v. v. DLOUGY E L nmmmmon FOR MINERAL BULK MATERIALS Filed March 22, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 00 O O OOOnU O Feb. 3', 1970 v. V.DLOUGYY ET AL 3,493,111

Filed March 22. 19s? DEHYDRATOR FOR MINERAL BULK MATERIALS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent 3,493,111 DEHYDRATOR FOR MINERAL BULK MATERIALS Valenin Vladimirovich Dlougy, Antonovsky pereulok 13,

kv. 50, and Voldemar Arnoldovich Kubbo, Krasnoplutilovskaya ulitsa 14/2, kv. 85, both of Leningrad,

.S.S.R.

Filed Mar. 22, 1967, Ser. No. 625,111 Int. Cl. B01d 23/20 US. Cl. 210-97 1 Claim ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A dehydrator is provided in which pulp is fed into an intake chamber wherefrom settled solids are fed to a resiliently supported horizontal pipe via a flexible coupling, the pipe having an open outlet end remote from the coupling for discharge of dehydrated material, and holes in the region of the open end for discharge of separated water. The pipe is subjected to vibration when a predetermined level of solids in the intake chamber is reached as detected by the stoppage of a swinging lever in the intake chamber.

The present invention relates to dehydrators for min eral bulk materials, which are used in construction and concentrating industries when processing sand, gravel, rubble and ores.

Such dehydrators are normally operated in combination with hydraulic head apparatus (hydraulic classifiers, concentrators) or head-free sedimentation tanks.

Also, they can function independently.

Known in the art are units for dehydrating mineral bulk materials, which incorporate an intake chamber and an outlet pipe with a gate to control the amount of material to be dehydrated. A unit of this type is now in use at the Vniinerud Research Institute in Togliatti, U.S.S.R.

In such units, dehydration is the result of the sedimen tation of the material out of the pulp into the intake chamber and of the subsequent travel of said material through the outlet pipe.

The aforementioned gate serves to control the amount of the material to be discharged. In order to prevent the pulp from blowing out through the outlet pipe, the material should be kept at a preset level. Said gate is usually made as a valve or a sector partially overlapping the outlet pipe section.

The known dehydrators suffer from several disadvantages, such as high moisture content of the material produced (35 to 40% by weight), which necessitates further dehydration of the material before it is fed onto the conveyor, as well as insufficient reliability of said dehydrators when operated under pressure created in hydraulic apparatus, which may be expressed by the blowing out of the pulp through the outlet pipe.

It is an object of the invention to eliminate the above disadvantages. The invention aims at providing a reliable dehydrator for mineral bulk materials, which ensures the moisture content in the material produced of not more than 15 to 20%, and does not require further dehydration of said material before it is fed onto the conveyor.

In the accomplishment of the above and other objects of the invention, in a dehydrator for mineral bulk materials wherein dehydration is the result of the sedimentation of the material out of the pulp into the intake chamber and of the subsequent travel of said material through the outlet pipe, according to the invention, said outlet pipe is resiliently mounted, provided with at least one vibrator, connected with the intake chamber by means of ice a flexible coupling and has a number of holes in its outlet portion to discharge the separated Water.

The invention will be more apparent from the following description of an exemplary embodiment thereof, reference being made to the appended drawing, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view of a dehydrator for mineral bulk materials according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a section taken on line I-I of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is an electrical circuit diagram of the automatic control of the dehydrator according to the invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, the dehydrator of the present invention essentially comprises an intake chamber 1 connected with an outlet pipe 3 by means of a flexible branch pipe 2.

Said outlet pipe 3 rests on a frame (not shown in the drawing) by means of springs 4. The flexible connection of the outlet pipe 3 with the intake chamber 1 and its resilient mounting on said springs 4 permit vibration of said outlet pipe 3 with a preset amplitude.

To cause vibrations of the outlet pipe 3, the later carries a vibrator 5 which may be of any design, viz.: eccentric, inertia, electromagnetic or any other.

In its outlet portion the abovementioned pipe 3 has a number of holes for discharging the water filtered through the material under pressure inside the intake chamber 1.

Through said holes the water passes to a collector 7 and then flows, through a branch pipe 8, for discharge.

To ensure automatic operation of the present dehydrator provision is made of a material level gauge inside the intake chamber 1, as well as of a system of automatic control over the electric motor of the vibrator.

The material level gauge is constituted as a swinging feeler 9 secured to a shaft 10 resting on bearings 11.

Through rubber diaphragms 12 the shaft 10 of the swinging feeler 9 protrudes outside the intake chamber 1.

The rubber diaphragms 12 are air-tightly pressed between flanges 13 on the shaft 10 of the swinging feeler 9 and flanges 14 on the walls of the intake chamber 1. Such a fixation of the swinging feeler 9 ensures complete airtightness of connections and permits swinging of the feeler 9 owing to elastic twisting of the rubber diaphragm 12.

Secured rigidly on the shaft 10 of the swinging feeler 9 is a lever 15 (FIG. 2), whose swinging is achieved by a connecting-rod 16 assisted by springs 17.

Said connecting-rod 16 acquires reciprocating motion (in the drawing shown by arrows) from an eccentric 18 rotatable by an electric motor 20 via a reducer 19 (FIG. 1).

To feed signals to the system of automatic control a lever 21 (FIG. 2) is rigidly set on the shaft 10 of the swinging feeler 9, said lever alternately closing one or the other, pair of contacts 22, 22'.

The electrical circuit diagram of the automatic control of the dehydrator is shown in FIG. 3.

The control system comprises indentioal units 23 and 24, and a magnetic starter 25 designed to start an electric motor 26 of the vibrator 5. The unit 23 energizes the relay 27 with a winding and normally closed contacts 28-.

Connected in parallel to the winding of the relay 27 is a capacitor 29. Contacts 28 are connected in series with the winding of a relay 30. Normally open contacts 31 of the relay 30 winding cut in the winding of the magnetic starter 25, which supplies power to the electric motor 26.

The dehydrator for mineral bulk materials can be operated in combination with hydraulic classifiers.

The operation of said dehydrator in combination with a hydraulic classifier is as follows.

During its sedimentation, the material goes into the bottom section of the intake chamber 1.

When the dehydrator is at work, the electric motor 20 of the drive of the swinging feeler 9 operates constantly.

If the level of the material is lower than the swinging feeler-9, the friction of said material against the walls of the outlet pipe 3 (with the vibrator 5 switched off) is so considerable that the material cannot travel through the pipe 3 even if the pressure inside the intake chamber reaches 3 atm.

As the level of the material inside the intake chamber 1 rises, the swinging feeler 9 will be blocked by said material, its swinging ceasing. As a result, the automatic control system will start the electric motor 26 of the vibrator 5 drive.

Under the action of the vibrator 5, the outlet pipe 3 begins its vibrating motion. Vibration of the pipe 3 will result in the contraction of the material and the removal of water from the latter.

Vibration of the outlet pipe reduces friction of the material against its Walls and facilitates said materials travel toward the outlet.

In the outlet portion of the pipe 3, the water remaining in pores is partially drained, through the holes 6 into the collector 7 and then into the pipe 3 for discharge. Owing to the contraction of the material in the outlet pipe and partial discharge of the water filtered through the material, the water content of the dehydrated material does not exceed -20%. Such material does not require further dehydration and can be fed directly onto the conveyor.

As the level of the material inside the intake chamber 1 becomes lower, the feeler 9 actuated by the electric motor via the reducer 19, concentric 18, connecting rod 16, spring 17 and lever 15 will swing on the shaft 10. The lever 21 rigidly connected with the shaft 10 of the swinging feeler 9 will alternately close two pairs of contacts 22 and 22' (FIG. 3). When the contacts 22 are closed, the Winding of the relay 27 of the unit 23 is energized, while its normally closed contacts 28 open. The winding of the relay 30 becomes deenergized and contacts 31 open.

The short-time downward withdrawal of the lever 21 permits the winding of the relay 27 to receive power from the capacitor 29, the contacts 31 being consequently open.

The unit 24 operates in a similar way, and for this reason contacts 32 pertaining to said unit are also disconnected during alternate closing of the contacts 22. The magnetic starter 25 and electric motor 26 of the vibrator 5 drive are not switched on in this case.

If the level of the material inside the intake chamber 1 rises, the swinging feeler 9 will be pressed by this material despite the continuing reciprocating motion of the connecting rod 16. Swinging motion of the levers 15 and 21 will also stop. Said connecting rod 16 is permitted to continue to perform reciprocating motion, while the swinging feeler 9 is blocked, by means of the spring 17.

The discontinuation of the swinging motion of the lever 21 will result in a prolonged opening of one of the pairs of contacts 22 or 22 (pending the fall of the level of the material inside the intake chamber 1).

If the pair of the contacts 22 is open, then, following the discharge of the capacitor 29, the winding of the relay 27 will deenergize, its contacts 2% become closed, the winding of the relay 30 is energized, the contacts 31 close, and the magnetic starter 25 and the electric motor 26 oi the vibrator 5 are energized.

The electric motor 26 started, the material starts to travel through the outlet pipe 3, and the vibrator 5 keeps operating until the level of the material inside the intake chamber 1 becomes lower and the swinging feeler 9 once more begins its free motion.

The automatic control system operates in a similar way, if the pair of the contacts 22' is open for a prolonged period of time.

The two pairs of contacts 22 and 22' and the units 23 10 and 24 are required to ensure automatic engagement of the vibrator 5 in case of an accidental blocking of the swinging feeler in one of its extreme positions, when one of the pairs of contacts 22 and 22 is closed for a prolonged period of time.

With a diameter of the outlet pipe of 200 mm. and a length of 3,000 mm., the present dehydrator has a capac ity of up to 80 mF/hr. of dehydrated material. The moisture content in the treated material is not higher than 15 to 20%, as compared with 35 to in the materials 20 treated by the known dehydrators. The dehydrator according to the invention is reliable in operation, precluding the blowing out of the pulp through the outlet pipe, and is capable of dehydrating material with 0.25 to 150 mm. grain size.

We claim:

1. A dehydrator for mineral bulk materials, said dehydrator comprising an intake chamber for receiving pulp and for causing sedimentation of the solid material from the pulp, said chamber having a lower outlet for said solid material, a horizontal outlet pipe beneath said chamber, means resiliently supporting said outlet pipe, a flexible coupling joining said pipe and the outlet of said intake chamber and permitting passage of material from said chamber to said pipe, means for producing vibration of said pipe with a component in a vertical direction and normal to the longitudinal direction of the pipe, said pipe having an open outlet end remote from the connection with said flexible coupling and a plurality of holes in the region of said open end for the discharge of water, and 40 means in said intake chamber for sensing the level of material therein and coupled to the vibration producing means to operate the same in response thereto, said means for sensing the level of the material in the intake chamber comprising a lever mounted for swinging movement, and switch means in the path of said lever and coupled to the vibration producing means for interrupting the operation thereof during swinging movement of said lever, said lever being constructed and arranged to be stay tionary when the level of material rises in the intake 00 chamber and prevents swinging of the lever.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,070,201 2/1967 Geary 2lO-l9 2,463,814 3/1949 Skinner 2l0433 2,208,867 7/1940 Holler et al. 3,095,097 6/1963 Mellow 222-56 0 REUBEN FRIEDMAN, Primary Examiner T. A. GRANGER, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R 

